Estonian prime minister caught in African Union hoax call scam
The Government Office said Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform) took part in a hoax call with a person pretending to be from the African Union Commission (UAC) last month.
In September, Kallas had a video conversation with a person who introduced themselves as Moussa Faki, chairperson of the UAC.
But on Friday (October 13), the AUC released a statement saying "several foreign capitals" were tricked by a phishing email scam that requested phone calls with foreign leaders.
Kallas was one of them, the government said in a statement issued on Friday evening. Confirmation was received today that the call had not taken place, at least not with the purported caller, Moussa Faki.
During the call, the pair discussed the situation in Niger and the Sahel, food security, European security, and Russia's war in Ukraine. Kallas pushed back on Russia's narratives and put forward Estonia's official and public positions, the office said in a statement.
Advisors from the Government Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were present at the video call.
Director of Government Communication Rasmus Ruuda said every foreign contact is checked in advance.
"The Government Office is improving its work processes so that similar cases do not happen in the future," he said.
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Editor: Helen Wright
